Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Clash in the President's Office
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The guards stepped up to block our path. A quick glance down showed their legs trembling.
"If you're scared, just step aside. Knocking you out with exactly the right force is exhausting. One little slip, and I might end up killing you."
Wow, saying it like that makes me sound like a total villain. But I've always wanted to deliver a line like that at least once.
"You can't stop us anyway."
I walked forward slowly. Guns trained on me and fired. The incoming bullets never touched our bodies. No need to deflect them—the protective barriers generated by our suits bounced them away automatically.
As I strolled along leisurely, I vanished in an instant and reappeared behind the guards. Each one took a solid hit from my spear shaft and passed out.
"Why even bother resisting?"
The answer to Han Sang-ah's question was obvious.
"Paycheck."
If they didn't resist and just ran, they'd get fired on the spot, right? To put food on the table, they had no choice but to hold out.
Han Sang-ah immediately let out an "Aha!" like she'd figured it out.
The president's office wasn't far now.
"Can you sense it?"
"Yeah."
Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hun nodded in unison. Beyond this thick partition wall, a familiar face was waiting. I tore the wall away, and a ridiculous "Hiiik!" echoed from the other side.
With the partition ripped out, we stepped slowly into the president's office, scanning the interior.
"That guy over there with the face like he's about to crap his pants must be the president."
Whirr, whirrl. Click. The sound of a balisong flipping rang out. There on the desk sat Kim Chae-hyun, cross-legged with his chin propped up, eyeing us.
"Hey. Didn't think I'd be seeing you like this. Or did I guess it?"
Kim Chae-hyun smiled as he looked at us.
"Heartbreaking that Mugunghwa doesn't share our goals."
I said that while readjusting my grip on the spear.
"Sorry, but Mugunghwa's always been on the government's side."
I gave a wry smile.
"At least you didn't embed any ore in your body."
Kim Chae-hyun burst out laughing at my words.
"Am I crazy? Why the hell would I stick that thing in my own body? Nightmares, constant phantom pains, the sensation of foreign matter spreading through me..."
Probably knew all about the side effects thanks to his close ties with the government.
Even as we talked, he kept flipping that balisong, building up his slashes. Kim Chae-hyun hopped down from the massive desk where he'd been sitting cross-legged.
"Planning to kill me?"
"Who knows?"
I drew a thin breath and replied to his answer.
"'Who knows' what? If you're gonna kill me, just say so. If not, say no."
With that, I turned to Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah.
"Block the guys heading this way."
It hadn't taken long to tear through the partition and reach here. Things were starting to get noisy outside.
Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah nodded and turned back. Their stance left them wide open, but Kim Chae-hyun didn't attack. The moment he turned his attention to them, I'd strike.
"Thought I'd have to face three, but it's down to one. Boosts my odds a bit, huh?"
I twirled my spear and shot back at Kim Chae-hyun's words.
"Nah."
The moment I finished speaking, I bolted from my spot. A beat later, his body turned to mist and swept through where I'd been.
"I've already seen all your tricks from way back."
For Kim Chae-hyun to have any shot at winning, I'd have needed to fight without knowing his style at all.
But he'd revealed everything—how he fought, what abilities he had—while tangling with me earlier.
Now that I knew, he had no chance. I traced blue trails in the air around me while kicking a sofa at him with my foot.
Shards from the shattered sofa rained down on him like a storm. Instead of swinging his balisong, he raised both arms to block the incoming debris.
"See, the thing about building up slashes is..."
The instant you swing even once and hit something, all those stacks vanish. Doesn't matter if it's for defense.
No matter how many stacks you've built, one swing wipes them all out.
"Once those stacks are gone, you're done."
I'd force him into situations where he had to swing, draining his stacks.
After that, I wouldn't give him time to rebuild them properly.
"Yoo Chan-seok, the other hunters would've thought of that strategy. They all failed, that's why I'm still here."
Kim Chae-hyun, shrouded in mist, zipped around at terrifying speed. But no shockwaves, no sounds at all.
Probably thanks to his gear. I leaned back to dodge the swinging balisong, then thrust my spear at his chest.
"..."
As if shoved by some invisible force, Kim Chae-hyun's body flew backward, evading my spear. As he retreated, he quickly spun the balisong a few more times and grinned.
"This balisong right now has at least 30,000 slash stacks built up."
He pointed at my spear with his left hand.
"That spear's tough as hell, but even it would snap in half from this."
He wasn't wrong. No matter how sturdy my spear, it couldn't withstand 30,000 stacked slashes in one hit unscathed. Looking at him, I put a bit of pressure on my toes.
"Think you can land it?"
My body slid forward toward him like I was on ice.
"This is..."
Kim Chae-hyun swung the balisong in his hand to strike my spear. At that moment, my spear contracted sharply, dodging the attack.
I reached out to the side, and a suitably sized chunk from the shattered sofa flew into my hand.
I swung the wooden shard, and Kim Chae-hyun raised his arm to block it.
"Right? Wasting those slashes on a wooden chunk like this would be a shame."
That's what I thought too. To conserve his slashes, his movements were restricted. He glared at me and clicked his tongue.
We kept vanishing and reappearing, clashing throughout the office. Meanwhile, our poor president huddled in the corner, shivering.
With a sharp whoosh, my spear slammed into his gut. Kim Chae-hyun's body launched into the air. I thrust again, but he twisted awkwardly midair, barely dodging.
The shockwave exploded, cracking the office walls.
"Damn it."
Kim Chae-hyun scowled in frustration and finally swung his balisong at the wooden shard I'd thrown.
The wood splintered apart, and all the stacks on his balisong vanished in an instant.
"Sunk cost fallacy?"
Bold choice. Kim Chae-hyun hadn't used his stacks to win—he'd held back. Losing without using them would've been pointless.
But it didn't change anything now.
A moment later, after eating a few more hits, Kim Chae-hyun spat blood dripping from his mouth onto the floor.
"Yeah, well. Figured it'd end like this eventually."
I eyed him for a second before replying.
"We weren't even really fighting."
He shot back.
"What're you talking about? I gave it my all."
"Yeah, right."
Even if he'd given his all, the outcome wouldn't change—but he hadn't fought properly, that much was true.
"Mind if I hear the reason?"
He answered my question right away.
"The Korean government and Dangun's descendants are like a ship without a destination now."
"Aha. Disappointed?"
He shook his head at my words.
"Nah. Means I don't have a reason to keep doing this crap anymore."
The Korean government and Dangun's descendants had lost their goal. The dream of turning South Korea into Earth's supreme superpower—gone.
"And that's on you. You know that, right?"
Kim Chae-hyun pointed his balisong at me.
I made a vague face. Blaming it all on me felt over the top. I knew what he meant, though.
"Tried to steal your Paradox Flame, but realized it's impossible."
The monsters secretly producing and distributing black ore, Dangun's descendants, even President Jo Won-hoon.
All had their own agendas, all trying to steal or copy my Paradox Flame from me.
But they'd learned in Africa that it was impossible.
President Jo Won-hoon's position was shaky now. Without my ability, Dangun's descendants had to abandon their dream of controlling the Erosion Cores someday.
The monsters, after I'd taken down one of the Great Eights, were seriously worried about me.
All these factors aligned perfectly, leading them to abandon their goals and unite against me.
"Fine, I'll admit I'm the root cause here."
Still, pinning it all on me was too harsh.
"If being too good is my crime, what the hell am I supposed to apologize for?"
Sorry for being born?
Kim Chae-hyun laughed at my words and glanced sideways. The Incheon International Airport Corporation president had passed out from extreme stress.
Confirming that, he scratched his head.
"What a unlucky bastard. Come to think of it, same thing happened during the Gonzalo subjugation."
He staggered to his feet after saying that.
"I'm quitting the hunter life. Gonna live off the money I've saved and enjoy a comfy retirement."
Damn, lucky bastard. That's my dream too. As he declared he'd achieved it first and was bowing out, I spoke up.
"If you back out now, won't you regret it later if things go south?"
"Regret? What regret? Like, 'Should've stuck it out and helped you more actively'? Won't happen."
Kim Chae-hyun stood from his seat.
"Man, you still haven't lowered that spear."
"You don't live long believing everything people say."
People keep promises only when they have a reason to. Words they don't have to mean carry no weight.
Even after talking big here, he could go back and work under the Korean government again, sabotaging me at every turn.
People desperate not to die will say anything to escape.
"How do I make you believe I'm sincere?"
I smiled at his words.
"One leg. Chop it off..."
I ignited Paradox Flame in my hand after speaking.
"Or roast it with this."
One or the other, so I'd believe him. Even if he harbored other intentions, without a leg, he wouldn't be a threat.
Well, to someone at my level. A one-legged Kim Chae-hyun was still Mugunghwa's 1st Team Leader—he wouldn't lose to other hunters.
"A leg?"
"If you're gonna make excuses like 'I lost fair and square in a fight,' you need an injury to sell it, right?"
Just strolling out unscathed and saying 'I lost, time to retire'—like the government would buy that.
"Fair point."
I kept the Paradox Flame burning in my hand.
"So, what's your answer?"
Kim Chae-hyun plopped back onto the desk and stuck out his leg toward me.
"Does that hurt?"
"Nah, doesn't."
He let out a sigh at my answer.
"Well, that's a relief at least. Make it quick. I've got a penthouse with a pool and cypress jacuzzi waiting, and you've got the Sandai Club calling your name, right?"
Damn, it's his leg getting chopped off, so why do I feel like I'm the one losing out?